In Delhi, artists from two countries tie up for exhibition of hand-painted signs

The A-shaped frames in the outdoors showcase photographs of hand-painted signs in the two countries — from food to clothing, sports to deities, political personalities and cartoons — with no markers to indicate which sign comes from where.

“There are a lot of similarities, but there are also unique differences. For instance, in India, food is usually painted as a whole, whereas in the Dominican Republic, it’s painted as chopped pieces. The portrayal of women is more sensual in the signs from the Dominican Republic,” said Sánchez.

His interest in graphic design and typography led him to first start documenting these over 25 years ago. “It is a special way of telling things,” noted Sánchez, a member of collective Shampoo and Biscuit.

Seth, meanwhile, was still pursuing her post graduation in Delhi when she started noticing and photographing hand-painted signs around her, particularly in the narrow alleys, including Old Delhi and Lajpat Nagar.

Her work as art director for films such as London Has Fallen, The Darjeeling Limited and The Bourne Supremacy, and production design for West is West, Angry Indian Goddesses and Don, among others, further piqued her interest in the art form, when she began documenting hand-painted signs also for film sets that would be recreated. “The detailing is influenced by so many factors, including the location,” said Seth, adding, “They also represent another kind of urban history, what gets sold, what gets consumed in an area, and what people are interested in.”

With an archive of over 20,000 photographs of hand-painted signs from across the world, Seth points out that in India the art form is dying.

“There used to be hundreds of artists painting these, but now there are a handful. Many are also branching to other fields, some are making boxes, doing animations, driving cars and so on… In another 10-12 years all that we are seeing around us will be gone,” said Seth.

She is working on a book on the subject that records the voices of artists pursuing the medium. In recent years, she has spent hours with them, even learning the nuances of the art.

“I even painted with them,” added Seth, who made her solo debut in the White Cube with a solo at Gallery Chemould in 2011. In the Dominican Republic, Sánchez noted, the art form is thriving. “It is really alive and doing well,” he said.

With Seth and Sánchez located in different continents, the planning of the exhibition largely took place online. The exhibition was almost ready when the two met days before the exhibition. “Our ideas matched, so it wasn’t really difficult,” said Seth.

For curious visitors who were trying to locate the images even as the show was being set up, the two artist-photographers were helping with hints. “It was interesting to see how people were building associations,” added Sanchez.